Comment by dgacmu
It wasn't under $1k but you can do some options for close-ish to that: a cargo e-bike.
It's been amazing and has let us remain a one car family despite two kids with a lot of activities. I adore it. About to hit 2k miles on it.
It wasn't under $1k but you can do some options for close-ish to that: a cargo e-bike.
It's been amazing and has let us remain a one car family despite two kids with a lot of activities. I adore it. About to hit 2k miles on it.
Cargo e-bikes are tempting. I also have two kids and I've managed to work it out with just two seats on my bike (one front, one back) and now that the big one is tall enough to ride his bike I've got a "follow-me tandem" which allow me to tug him uphill, but carrying sports equipment is starting to be a hassle, so I'm seriously considering buying a cargo ebike to replace my current set-up.
I've gone from follow-me to cargo e-bike (above €1000). The axis of the follow-me somehow broke in coldish weather, and we almost had an accident. Never again.
But the cargo e-bike is fantastic. I've basically stopped using the bus, and everything under 30km with the kid has become no-brainer easy. I've done 1200km in 6 months now. But winter is coming, let's see how it goes.
I got a (non-cargo) e-bike for close to USD1000. Definitely a game changer - faster and more reliable than trains or driving to get to work. Any trip with 5km just becomes a no-friction option, where otherwise it might be tempting to get into the car. An e-bike is an excellent replacement for the second car (or, if you live in a convenient enough place, first car)
I experienced a lot of the benefits mentioned in the comments on this one but rather than an e-bike I just got a cheap used 50cc gas scooter
Its so much easier/faster for doing quick errands around the neighborhood
Taking the car now feels overkill in comparison
Just another option to consider rather than getting a second car
Scooters are a fine option that gives you some of the advantages of the bike, such as "I can find a parking spot just about anywhere, suckers!", but I'd strongly consider electric for anyone pondering. For a purely local transit modality, the fact that I can charge it at home on 120v and never have to deal with a gas station is fantastic -- and, in fact, a second bonus is that it reduces how often I need to fill up the car. I've never owned an EV, but the e-bike experience has really started to convince me that whenever we get a new car, it will be electric for convenience alone. I hate the "ah crap, low on gas, can I play chicken with future-me or my wife about filling it up?" dance.
The cargo part of the bike is pretty cool, though. I've seen some people do some cool loading hacks with a scooter, but the amount of stuff you can haul on a cargo bike is really fun. When I bought the e-bike, I rode my road bike down to the bike store, and rode the e-bike back home _hauling my road bike_. That was pretty awesome. :)
You go very very far with a scooter before having to fill up the tank. Motorcycles are in my opinion the best and most realistic option for reducing car traffic. E-Bikes probably second best.
Similar. 2 kids, 2 cargo e-bikes, 1 car. My wife has over 3k miles and I'm just under 2k (I work from home every day). We live in Colorado and bundle the kids up in ski clothes, and some nice buffs and hats and they do just fine for rides to school in the winter (if the roads are ok).
With the plethora of bike trails and neighborhood routes, I'm nearly as fast as a car getting around without going overboard on pedal assist (I do about 18 mph).